April 14, 2008

I sat in disbelief last night watching one of the most amazing stories about a Leukemia Patient and his quest to find a cure for cancer. Read on and watch - this story is about hope and the human spirit. What can we learn from John Kanzius - Never Stop Trying.

July 27, 2006

Allyson Lewis has written a terrific book called the Seven Minute DIfference - one of the best I have read in years. She has a powerful opening chapter on purpose that needs to be shared with others.

THE POWER OF PURPOSE:

Sir Ernest
Shackleton, one of history’s most daring navigators, was a man whose purpose
was to lead explorations of the earth’s unknown areas. In pursuit of that
purpose, Shackleton determined that he would lead an expedition to explore the Antarctic.
He knew that the area held a wealth of important scientific information, and
that such an expedition would be both historically and scientifically
significant. He had a vision, he had a purpose, and he had a burning desire to
accomplish things that no man had ever accomplished. Shackleton and a crew of 26 men (and one
stowaway) set sail from Plymouth, England, on August 1, 1914, aboard the
Endurance, a ship named for the Shackleton family motto “By Endurance We Conquer.”

After sailing
around the tip of South America, the ship slowly made its way through the thickening
ice of the Atlantic Ocean until the crew could
see the Antarctic continent before them.
Then, on January 19, 1915, the ship stopped completely as the huge ice floes
that clogged the sea trapped it.

With no
other perceived options, Shackleton decided to wait until the spring thaw.
Throughout the long, dark Antarctic winter
the ship was locked in place, the men stranded. As a leader, Shackleton knew
that he must keep the crew’s spirits high or they would never be able to endure
the horrible cold and loneliness of this desolate situation. He led the men in games
of football and hockey on the ice. They celebrated holidays, sang patriotic
songs, and raced their dog sleds in what they called the Antarctic Derby.

After ten
long months, the ice floes began to shift; but instead of freeing the
Endurance, they slowly crushed the ship and dragged her to the bottom of the
ocean. The crew unloaded as many supplies as they could, salvaging food, life-boats,
sled dogs, and supplies, then made camp on the ice floe that had crushed their
ship. If you have ever felt trapped by circumstances beyond your control,
adrift, or crushed by the shifting changes of the world around you, you might
have

some
concept of the challenges facing Shackleton and his crew during these agonizing
months.

Again,
Shackleton stepped forward as a leader. He gave his men his word that the would
return every one of them safely to England Again. He did not allow them to
consider the possibility that they would fail. Shackleton assigned daily
rotating duties to the men, to keep them
all engaged and actively at work on achieving their purpose. He reminded the
men frequently of their return voyage, and he kept their dreams of home always
vivid in their minds. He asked the men to describe their homes; the counties
where they lived; their wives, children, parents, and friends. He treated the
idea of a successful voyage home as a foregone conclusion, and made the goal of
achieving that dream the driving force behind every crew member’s work and
purpose.

On April
12, 4 months after the breakup of the Endurance, the ice floe on which the men
were camped broke free and drifted within 30 miles of tiny Elephant Island.

In a courageous dash, Shackleton and his crew boarded their three tiny
lifeboats and sailed for the relative safety of the island. Amazingly, al three
boats landed safely. Although they were able to shelter in the inhospitable
place, the only source of food on the island was its flocks of penguins.
Shackleton knew that without vegetables, he and his men would contract scurvy
and die, and he was determined to avoid such a horrible conclusion to their
venture.

So, in a
22½ foot lifeboat named The James Caird, Shackleton and five of his men set out
to make the whaling station on South Georgia Island, a 25-mile-long strip of land 800 miles away, across the open and stormy sea.
With nothing more than a compass to guide them, Shackleton and 5 other crew
members accomplished one of the greatest navigational feats in history and landed on the southern coast of
the Georgia Island on May 10, just 17 days after
launching.

Leading his
tiny crew over uncharted mountains, through an icy rushing stream, and down the
30-foot drop of a waterfall, Shackleton successfully reached the whaling station within 36 hours
after landing on the small island. Then, after 4 months of repeated efforts to
return, Shackleton successfully sailed back to Elephant Island and rescued his remaining 22 crew members. When he landed back on the island,
105 days after leaving, he was amazed to find that all of his men remained
alive. As Shackleton had promised, he and his men realized their dream; all of
them returned to their homes in England. These were ordinary men with the same dreams and fears we have, but, by sharing
the deep and passionate purpose of their leader, they persevered in the pursuit
of an incredible achievement.

Shackleton
and his crew formulated common goals, and made sure that every choice they made
and every action they undertook specifically moved them closer to those goals.
They drew upon their strengths to survive throughout enormous hardship.
Shackleton’s core belief in a single, powerful dream guided them.

This story
of courage and survival teaches so many les- sons. What circumstances are
crushing you? Are you making concrete plans to overcome them? Are you reaching
out to your “crew” for encouragement? Are you wiling to do what- ever it takes
to make it back alive?

One of the most telling parts of Shackleton’s
story is his family motto, “By Endurance We Conquer.” Too
many people simply give up. Take courage, persevere, and never be afraid to
follow your dream.

June 29, 2006

The world is an amazing place if you understand the connection between yourself and others you touch on a daily basis.All of your interactions can have an amazing impact on peoples lives. One decision, one relationship, one friendship can change the future in ways we can not possibly identify. Flap your wings - you will be amazed at how much of the world you are really moving.

The Connection Between Norman Borlaug and George Washington Carver

CampSilos.com
By Tom Morain

The story begins in the Farm House on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. Shortly after the Civil War, Professor Joseph Budd and his family moved into the Farm House. Joseph Budd was a professor of horticulture at Iowa State. He had a daughter named Etta May.

Etta May Budd
After studying art in the East, Etta Budd returned to the Midwest to teach
art at Simpson College in Indianola. There she met a young black man, the son of former slaves. He was enrolled in one of her art classes. He loved to paint, especially still life paintings of plants and flowers. He was also a good gardener. Etta Budd helped him find gardening jobs with families around Indianola. The young man's name was George Washington Carver.

George Washington Carver
As his friend and art teacher, Etta Budd took Carver aside one day and urged him to study something besides art. Etta told him he could never support himself or a family with his artwork. Instead of painting plants, she encouraged him to study them. She offered to go with him to Iowa State where her father was a professor. After thinking about it, Carver agreed to enroll at Iowa State. Some time later, Etta visited George Washington Carver at Ames. There she discovered something that made her very unhappy. Because Carver was
black he had to eat his meals in the kitchen rather than the dining hall
with the other students. This was unacceptable to Etta. She brought him into the dining hall where the white students took their meals. There he ate with him until the other students accepted him. At Iowa State Carver was a brilliant biology student. He even took graduate
work and upon graduation, was offered a teaching position. He was the first black teacher that Iowa State had ever hired.

Henry A. Wallace While at Iowa State, Carver used to take long walks into the surrounding
fields to study plants for research. On some of these walks he took a little friend with him. His friend was the six-year-old son of a dairy science professor. Carver shared his love of plants, and the boy responded
enthusiastically. At the age of eleven, that boy began doing experiments
with different varieties of corn. His name was Henry A. Wallace. As an adult, Wallace's fascination with corn continued. He developed
some of the first hybrid corn varieties and even published his findings in Wallaces' Farmer Magazine. He also founded Pioneer Hi-bred International, Inc. By planting his hybrid seed, the per acre yields of Midwestern corn
doubled and tripled. In 1933, Wallace became Secretary of Agriculture under President Franklin Roosevelt. Then in 1940 he became Vice President under Roosevelt. After the election of 1940, Wallace took a vacation trip to Mexico. There he found corn to be an important part of most Mexican families' diet. But the yield in Mexico was so much lower than that of American farmers who planted hybrid corn varieties. Wallace had an idea. He would create agriculture experimental stations like those in Iowa. The stations would develop improved corn varieties adapted for the climate and soil of Mexico. On his return to the United
States, he proposed the idea to the Rockefeller Foundation. The Foundation welcomed the idea, and an experimental station was built in Mexico.

Norman BorlaugOne of the first scientists to join the station started by Wallace in
Mexico was Norman Borlaug. Born and raised in Cresco, Iowa, Borlaug's work led to great increases in agricultural production in Mexico.Twenty years after the station was built, corn production in Mexico had doubled, and wheat production had increased five-fold. Borlaug went on to win the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his development of high-yielding wheat. The work of Borlaug and others in expanding yields of corn, wheat, and
rice prevented worldwide famine. Over the years, the lives of a billion people were saved. No one asked Etta Budd to feed a billion people. Her task as she saw it, was to end a stupid and degrading practice that demeaned her friend,
George Washington Carver. In doing so, however, she set in motion a series of relationships that changed the world.

June 28, 2006

Warren Buffett agreed to donate the majority of his wealth to the Gates Foundation this week. It is such a powerful statement on the legacy we can have in this life. It is great to see a group of people using their wealth to serve others. How many more wealthy entrepreneurs will follow suit in the years to come? Newsweek has a great series of articles on people who are being recognized for serving others - I highly recommend the article.

June 13, 2006

About 6 years ago, our daughter lost her battle with a rare illness called CIP. During our many treatments and surgeries at Childrens Hospital in Pittsburgh - we came to know many other parents and children with the same disease. Isabelle has survived many surgeries as well a major multi-visceral transplant. She recently had kidney transplant last week and is doing well.

Her spirit and courage move all of us who know her. Her parents and family are heroes and we are lucky to have known them.

There are so many families like the Christensens who need your help and support everyday. Reach out and help those who need it the most. It will lift your spirit and ground you.

June 10, 2006

Habitat for Humanity’s Home Builders Blitz 2006 is a nationwide effort
that joins Habitat for Humanity affiliates and 1,000 professional home
builders to construct more than 400 houses in one week. By working with
Habitat, professional builders are making affordable housing a reality.

During your lifetime - you must partcipate with this organization.
The experience leaves you inspired by seeing the compassion, teamwork
and energy of the community coming together for a common cause. I was
truly moved when we got to see the family of our house cheer from the
street when our team put up the first wall. We build over 120 houses a
year as a company, but that one home will always have a special place
in my heart.

Gandhi said - "Be the change that you want to see in the world".
Take the first step and help be part of the change you want to see in this world. You never get tired helping other people.

I know that for the rest of my life - I plan on helping to build one of these houses a year.

April 18, 2006

I just got done with a radio interview discussing how and why our company did the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Project. One of the things that I still can't express clearly - is how much good there is in our lives. What so many see when these projects occur is how much help and kindness is provided to the family in need. People come from all over come to help - to be part of something and touch what is still good in life. I think in many ways we see so much that is bad - the news, the media, etc... We constantly are hit by all the bad that we come to believe that this is the norm.

....But then - life gives us the opportunity to help someone in a dramatic way and brings out so much of the good in people. I can still remember the day when a group of neighbors came to my house and helped put up Christmas lights in our front yard. We had been at the hospital for a week straight with my daughter and people came from all over to help spread some joy. My daughter is no longer with me - but the joy she brought me and the lessons from her life will never go away.

The world is a place that has many dark corners and despair - but it also a place where people share what is in their heart and give back to others. Shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition may not be able to help everyone - but slowly - they are showing us the way. Shine your light a little and give back - you may be surprised how you feel.

April 12, 2006

During the month of March I had the good fortune of being able to participate with Extreme Makeover:Home Edition here in Philadelphia. Our company - Dewey - was selected to help build a home for the PY family in Northeast Philadelphia. You can view everything about the project at www.deweyextreme.com.

I am so thankful to all the people and friends who came out to support this event. It is truly amazing to see how people extend their hand and help out those in need. This event represented and showed what people can accomplish when there is a common purpose.

One of the quote's we used to help motivate our team is a quote from Pantanjali:

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary
project, all your thoughts break their bonds: your mind transcends
limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you
find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces,
faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a
greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

I appreciated the opportunity to part of this event with the City of Philadelphia, ABC, our trades, sponsors and everyone at Dewey. Thank you so very much.

September 12, 2005

So here I am - watching a quick TV segment of something while I am getting dressed the other day - and then it happens - I get hooked.

I was in a trance about a story of a father and son. A father who would not take no for an answer - and a son whose soul was always shining - but it took the world a while to recognize it. HBO's Real Sports did an amazing story on Dick Hoyt and his son Rick (The segment description is below).

Labor of
Love

The term
"family bond" takes on new meaning when used to describe Dick Hoyt and his son Rick ,Massachusetts natives who personify what it
means to live for another human being. In 1962 Rick was born after a complicated
labor, where a dangerously coiled umbilical cord cut off oxygen to his brain.
The family was told by doctors that in Rick's vegetative state it would be best
to institutionalize him. Nonetheless, the Hoyts were committed to raising their
son as "normally" as possible and knew that behind Rick's physical handicaps
lurked a healthy mind. With the help of Tufts University , which had developed
cutting-edge technology allowing Rick to communicate through head movements, the
Hoyts discovered he was a natural sports fan and healthy competitor. Five years
later, in 1977, Dick pushed his son's wheelchair through a five-mile benefit run
and found the race had given Rick the miraculous feeling of being able-bodied.
With that knowledge, Dick subsequently dedicated his life to giving Rick the
feeling as often as possible. REAL SPORTS' Mary Carillo, in collaboration with
Sports Illustrated, chronicles a journey that began with
love.http://www.teamhoyt.com/

Watching this story confirmed for me what I know to be true - The Human Spirit is capable of anything. Use
this story however you choose, but make sure to pass it forward to
those who need courage, inspiration and hope in their own lives.